Forsyth Coronavirus Update: 184 Cases, 6 Deaths; School Update

FORSYTH COUNTY, GA — There are 184 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus and six coronavirus-related deaths in Forsyth County, as of Friday morning, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

In Forsyth County, these numbers mean there are more than 77.5 positive cases of the coronavirus for every 100,000 people.

Here's the breakdown of deaths in Forsyth County by age:

• 59-year-old male
• 60-year-old male
• 69-year-old female
• 81-year-old female
• 85-year-old male
• 87-year-old male

Get the latest updates on the new coronavirus in Georgia as they happen. Sign up for free news alerts and a newsletter in your Patch town.

Here are the latest updates from Forsyth County:

SCHOOLS

Gov. Brian Kemp has announced that all K-12 schools in Georgia will remain closed for in-person instruction for the remainder of this school year.

Forsyth County Schools has created an online learning and grading guidelines.

Superintendent Jeff Bearden wrote a letter to the class of 2020, which included information on graduation, prom, and other senior week events.

"Our high schools are working on plans for this April and May to recognize your many talents, contributions, and legacy," Bearden wrote. "Additionally, they are rescheduling proms and senior week events to occur in late July when hopefully large groups are permitted to gather again."

Graduations have been rescheduled to the Infinite Energy Center:

July 30

• 9 a.m. Denmark High School
• 2 p.m. Lambert High School
• 7 p.m. South Forsyth High School

July 31

• 9 a.m. Forsyth Central High School
• 2 p.m. West Forsyth High School
• 7 o.m. North Forsyth High School

"Our schools will also be holding virtual graduations on May 26 for those students that are unable to attend the July graduation ceremonies," Bearden wrote. "Schools will be releasing more details about virtual graduations the week of April 13. We recognize that moving graduation, prom and senior week events to later this summer may create some unforeseen inconveniences and decisions, but it was important for us to offer these traditional face-to-face events for those that wish to/are able to participate. Without a doubt, these extraordinary times have prompted unprecedented but necessary changes in every aspect of our lives."

Related: Updates On Grades, Graduation, Tests For Georgia Students

The district also gave updates on a daily instructional schedule, grading and final exams. The district updated elementary, middle and high school grading for the remainder of the current school year.

Grading:

• Elementary: Pass (P) or Fail (F)
• Middle: Pass (P) or Fail (F); High School courses taken in MS: Numeric grade
• High: Numeric grade
• *Hold Harmless Provision: For all grade levels, the totality of student work assigned and submitted during online learning, March 16-May 22, will only have a positive impact on the overall semester average.

High school courses:

• Year-long courses: Final grade/credit earned for year-long courses will consist of semester 1 (50 percent) and semester 2 (50 percent). Hold harmless provision applies only to quarter 4, which is the last 9 weeks of semester 2.
• Semester-long courses: The hold harmless provision will also apply to spring 2020 semester-long courses. The final grade can not be lower than the 9-week progress grade posted on March 13.

Final exams: Middle school and high school will have no final exams.

Non-traditional courses: Georgia Virtual and Forsyth Virtual courses will follow Forsyth Schools Hold Harmless Provision.

Support services: Support services such as Special Education, ESOL, Title I, EIP, and Gifted will collaborate with general education teachers to differentiate instruction to meet individual needs. These services could be embedded in the student’s core work as appropriate for the student. However, in some cases, specific interventions may still need to be provided. These specific interventions may extend or replace instructional time for individual students.

BUSINESSES

Not everything is closed in Forsyth County because of the coronavirus pandemic. Many essential businesses are still open to provide services such as food take-out, eye care and more. We've created a simple small business directory to help residents see what's open in Forsyth County.

Cumming businesses have shared their information, which we've compiled here.

HOSPITALS

On Thursday, the Georgia Department of Public Health said it is increasing the number of specimen collection sites statewide for coronavirus testing, and is revising the current testing criteria to handle more testing of Georgia residents.

In Forsyth County, the North Health District will serve the community, with the Forsyth County Health Department able to be contacted at 770-781-6900.

See more: GA Coronavirus: Testing Now Offered By Local Health Departments

LONG-TERM FACILITIES

The Georgia Department of Public Health has updated a report that shows coronavirus cases in long-term care facilities based on data provided as of Sunday. The data in the report is contingent on what information has been provided to, and verified by, the Department of Public Health. It is possible that a facility is reporting different numbers to different entities, but unless it has been verified by the Department of Public Health, it will not be included in the weekly report. This report is subject to change.

In Forsyth County, there are three long-term facilities in the report:

• The Villas @ Canterfield, 815 Atlanta Hwy Cumming, GA 30040
  • 1 case
• Mann House Assisted Living, 8025 Majors Rd., Cumming, GA 30041
  • 1 case
• Cumming Health & Rehab, 2775 Castleberry Rd., Cumming, GA 30040
  • 47 cases